According to an ancient Frankish ordinance, “He who claims that someone else is covered in dung shall be liable to pay 120 denari.” In Skamania County, Washington, it is a felony to commit the “premeditated, willful and wanton” slaying of a sasquatch – a creature whose existence has never been proven.

Kevin Underhill examines weird, bizarre, illogical, and just plain funny laws from the past and the present in a discussion of his new book. Underhill is a partner in the San Francisco office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, the powerhouse law firm based in Kansas City. He is the author of the essay series, “If Great Literary Works Had Been Written by Lawyers,” and the blog “Lowering the Bar.”